Ratnapura District Member of Parliament Gamini Valeboda, Chairman of the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee to Alleviate the Impact of the Economic Crisis, has revealed information in medical research that one third of Sri Lanka’s school children, i.e. nearly fourteen hundred thousand, do not eat enough or no food.
He also mentioned that information has been revealed from the tests that skipping breakfast has a very negative effect on the development of children’s brain and body.
Meanwhile, the MP said that one fifth of children suffer from malnutrition and the poor economic situation in the country has been the main reason for the increase in abuse and violence against children. He pointed out that there is a risk of loss.
Mr. Gamini Valeboda, who says that the responsibility of feeding children has become too heavy for the parents today, said that due to economic difficulties, the parents are not able to provide the children with nutritious animal food as well as plant food as before.
Due to this, the health department has warned that visible and invisible nutritional deficiencies may increase among children in the near future and this situation may be worse especially among children from families with low income and low nutritional education.